Egg tester and handler.



P. S. RAKOWSKI, EGG TESTER AND HANDLER.

APPLICATION HLED NOV. 24. 1915.

1 ,QFQCQAQ'FQ I Patented Got. 16, 191?.

3 SHEETSSHEET I.

Gamm

I l I I v +25 1 1 a) l l 22 L l P. S. RAKOWSKL EGG TESTER AND HANDLER. APPLICATION FILED rwv. 24, I916.

1,24%,Wa Patented m. 16,1917.

1 3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

gs manic;

P. S. RAKOWSKI.

EGG TESTER AND HANDLER. MPUCATIQN FILED NOV. 24. 1916.

Lwfiflmo Patented Oct. 16,1917.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3- GOS OGQQOOOQOOOG 'SLBAKOWSKI, ORDIQKINSON, NORTH DAKOTA.

nee TESTER nun HANDLER.

Application fi1ed November 24, 1916.

To all whom it may concern:

Be itknown that I, PETERS. RAKoWsKI, a citizen oftheUnited States, residing at Dickinson, in the county of Stark and State of North Dakota,have invented certain useful Improvements in Egg Testers and Handlers, of which the following-is aspecification,,reference being had therein to theiaccompanying drawing. 7

The presentdnvention relatesto a device forhandling and testing eggs, and has for anobijectto provide arelatively small and compact deviceby means of Which eggs may hetransferred from ;pails,, b0: :es and the like, in Whichthe eggs are generally packed, Withsaw dust, oats, .,or.other soft material, into egg crates for shipping and for delivery Qto the. retail trade.

It is another object of this invention to provide a device of this character Which supports the eggs and the crate into which the: eggs areto Joepacked atca height, which permits of the personuhandling the egg to stand upright, and prevent stoopingv or Walking in the operation. The inventionfurther aims at the. provision of an improved dei'ice of this character Which has novel means for testing practically any number of eggsat one time,

and means .forindicatingthe unsalable eggs, so that the same; may be readily picked} out after the eggs have been tested.

The above, and other objectsof this 'invention will he ,more specifically brought out in the following detailed description of the presentpreferred embodiment, the same being illustrated in-the accompanying. drawings, Wherein- 2 testing plate.

F gure lglS a side elevation of an egg tester and handlenconstructed according to the present invention. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal through the same. i Fig. is a transverse, section taken on the line 3 3 (of Fig ggl, showing the device 1 adjusted in position for :jtesting theeggs.

,Figa l. is a similar \vievv ,sho Wing the deviceadjusted or. separating the ,eggs :from

section taken h P c ing ma erial. 1 ,Fig. 5 ista detailed ig; 6 isa similar vieyv-showing an adjustable cover applied-to theplate.

ra 7 is a detail View ,Or the adjustable cover gfor applieation ;;to the egg. testing.

Plat

Specification of LettersPatent.

stooping.

. turned lip 21 on its forward plan .tie'w .of the egg Patented Oct. 16, 1917. 1s riai1m1ea23s.

)arts are desi nated b similar characters of reference throughout the several views, 10 designates a rectangular elongatedjframe, provided at its lower edgeandat its inner sides with longitudinally extending guide strips ll, and havingintermediate its ends a transversebrace bar 12, secured across the lower. edge of-the frame. a The frame .10 may be supported in any suitablef nanner, as. by standardsl3, ata3'l1eight .to-admit easy access to the interior of the frame Without Fitting-in the frame 10 onthe guide strip 1-1 is a ,shiftable tray 14, the same being of a length equal substantially to one .-halfthe lengthofthe frame 10, and'beingadapted inthe use of the device to'be slid [fromend to end Withinthe frame. This-tray 14 is provided With an open mesh bottom 7 15, the bottom being preferably formed from lengths ofcrossed wire of substantial thickness, and being of such size as to support eggs .Withinthe. tray and permit of the passage of 5SLW dust, cats, or other -relatively thin packing material to-pass down through thetray. Beneath the right handrend'of the frame 10 is suspended a hopper 16, the latterbe ing provided at its reduced loWer'end With a depending neck 17 having out-turned lateral flanges lSat its lotveredge foiwengagement beneath the over-turned flanges 19 formed upontheopposite lateral edgesofa gate orclosure 20. The closure 20 is in the form of a plate of such sizeta-s to closethe lower. end of the-neck 17, and hasadownedge :for engagement by the hand. to slidethe gate into openor closed positions. The device is provided at preferably'its right hand end, adjacent tothe hopper l6, Witha rack formed of .np-right-s 22,.spaced outwardly from the adjacent standards 1-3 and being reinforced by preferably crossed braces 23. Supporting bars24-extend horisuch ;hei ght as topermit of the positioningof a number of egg cases 27 beneath the left hand end of the frame, as shownin the drawings. i

The means for testing the eggs comprises. a testing plate 28, adapted to be placed heavy sheet metal and is provided with a plurality of openings 30, of a size adapted each to receive one egg, and to suspend the egg in the opening. The upper side of the plate is provided along one lateral edge, and along one longitudinal edge with a row of numbers,- and suitable indicia arranged opposite to the rows of openings which are formed in the plate 28, and by means of which certain of the openings 30 may be quickly identified. l Y An upwardly tapering hood 31 is adapted to be swung downwardly over the testing plate 28 to inclose the same. The top of the hood 31 isprovided with a side opening 32 through which eggs placed on the plate 28 maybe viewed. r

The hopper 16 is provided in its interior with a source of light33, the same being disclosed in the present instance as in the form of an electric light bulb, the wires 3& of which may be carried outwardly through one side of the hopper 16. This light 33 may be permanently mounted in the hopper 16 as 2 shown, as the light packing material adapted to be passed downwardly through the hopper 16 will not injure the light. A suitable support 35 extends upwardly from the rear side of the frame 10 for supporting the hood 31" and the testing plate 28 whenthe latter areswung back out of the way when not in use. I

It will be noted that the testing plate 28 is provided with several rows of openings 30, corresponding to the approximate number of eggs to be testedat one time. 7 Should however it be desired to test a smaller number of eggs, a covering member is adapted to be placed over the plate 28, and'to be completely folded ifit is desired to block out but one row of the openings, and to be opened to extend one or more of the panels over the surface of the plate, according to the number of rows of openings to be covered.- Each panel of the coveringmember isequal substantially in width to the width of the corresponding rowsof openings. 1 Y I It will be noted'that the uprights 22 of the rack project a short distance abovethe su-pp'orting bars 24 for the purpose of pre-' venting the accidental slipping of the egg case 25 from the top of the rack.

I In the use of the device, the eggs are brought in the usual manner packed in containers with saw dust, oats, straw, or other light relatively thin packing material. The" tray 14: is moved into position over the hop- ,per 16, and the containers, partially covered by cloth or the like, are dumped into the tray. 'The packing material passes down through the open' mesh bottom 15 of the tray into the hopper 16, and may be collected again'into containers upon the opening of the gate 20 when the containers'are placed beneath the neck 17. The tray 14 containing the eggs is now shifted to the opposite end of the frame 10, andth'e test ing plate 28 is swung down into position over the hopper 16. The eggs are now placed upon the plate 28, one in each opening 30. The hood'31 is now swung down wardly over thegplate 28 and the observer now places his eye. to the sight opening 31 and looks downwardly through the eggs on the plate 28. The luminous element 33 shines upwardly through the hopper 16, and through the eggs on' the plate 28. By the provision of the indicia along the edges of the plate 28, the opaque'eggs, if any,may be quickly placed, and their positions noted. After this has been done, the hood 31.is

' raised and the unsalable eggs removed from the plate 28. The remaining eggs may be transferred from the plate to the egg case 25 which is supported on'the rack in close proximity to the tester. j To facilitate the testing of the eggs, it is preferable to provide the interior of the hopper 16 with a coat of white paint, and to similarly 'coat the lower sideof the plate 28. The hood ,81, however is preferably coated or lined with a black substance, as is also the top of the plate 28. i

The frame, rack, their supports, and the tray may be made fromlight: wood, and comprises but 7 relatively few parts, easily assembled. The hopper, hood, and other parts of the device, may be made" from sheet metal which is capable of being stamped and bent economically to. provide these parts. It is of course understood that various changes and modifications maybe made in the above specifically described structure without departing from the spirit of thisin vention, to adapt the device for handling large or small quantities of'eggs, and for various conditions ,met in its manufacture and installation.

What is claimed is: 1 1. In a combined egg tester-land handler, a frame, ahopper arrangedbeneathone end of theframe, altray slidably' mounted in the frame and adapted foradjustment over the hopper and provided with an open' mesh bottom, said tray being "adaptedflto jreceive packed eggs therein and to separate the packing from the eggs, a source of lightarranged in the hopper, a testing plate adapted for engagement ove'rthe frame upon. the shifting of said tray into the opposite" end thereof, said plate having openings therein to receive eggs from the tray, and a, hood adapted to fit over said plate and having a sight opening in the upper end thereof through which the eggs may be observed.

2. A combined egg tester and handler comprising a frame, a tray mounted to slide in the frame a hopper arranged beneath one end of the frame, a gate closing the lower end of the hopper, said tray being adapted to receive eggs therein and provided With an open mesh bottom through which the packing is adapted to pass into the hopper,

a testing plate carried by the frame for engagement over said hopper upon the shifting of the tray into the opposite end thereof, said plate provided With openings therein to receive eggs from the tray, and a hopper carried by the frame for engagement over the plate and provided with a sight opening therein through which the eggs may be observed.

In testimony Whereof I affix my signature.

PETER S. RAKOWSKI'.

Gopies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the "Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G. 

